Monday Daily Puck: Blackhawks Backin' Up The Goods

Around the Rink

There's an interesting breakdown of goaltending going on in Chicago these days. Corey Crawford is the starter, but when he gets hurt, that's when the fun starts. It's difficult figuring out whether the Blackhawks favor Antti Raanta or Scott Darling as the backup goalie. Darling recently got the starts when Crawford injured himself at a concert, forcing him out for a couple weeks. Now, with Crawford back, the team sent Darling back to the AHL and kept Raanta. Raanta reeled off a 31-save shutout Sunday. The moral of the story? Owning any active goalie in the Windy City is a good thing.

Thirty-three year old goalie, Rob Zepp, made his NHL debut for the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday night. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999 and then by Carolina in 2001, Zepp allowed three goals on 28 shots in a 4-3 OT win over the Jets. Whether he sticks around in the NHL remains to be seen, but there can be little question he skated the Stairway to Heaven on Sunday.

A month into the 2014-15 season, it appeared as though the sky was the limit for the line of Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist. Crosby was dishing, Kunitz was going to the net, and Hornqvist was shooting from anywhere and everywhere. Then injuries struck and coach Mike Johnston looked to jumpstart Pittsburgh's other superstar, Evgeni Malkin, moving Hornqvist to Malkin's line. Fast forward through Kunitz's fractured foot, Hornqvist's bell-ringing and Crosby's slumps & mumps -- and the trio (which recently reunited) looks to do damage again. Surprises like Steve Downie and Blake Comeau have contributed to the team's success in a big way, but Johnston knows he's got to get his big boys humming again if he wants to better his chances for postseason success.

Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid

Ottawa Senators (Craig Anderson) at Washington Capitals (Braden Holtby), 7:00 PM
Nashville Predators (Pekka Rinne) at Columbus Blue Jackets (Sergei Bobrovsky), 7:00 PM
Pittsburgh Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury) at Florida Panthers (Roberto Luongo), 7:30 PM
Arizona Coyotes (Mike Smith) at Vancouver Canucks (Ryan Miller), 10:00 PM
San Jose Sharks (Antti Niemi) at Anaheim Ducks (Frederik Andersen), 10:00 PM
Calgary Flames (Karri Ramo) at Los Angeles Kings (Jonathan Quick), 10:30 PM

Injury News For Teams Playing Monday

Ottawa Senators
Chris Neil, RW - Neil (knee) is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks, Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen reports. (12/16/2014)
Marc Methot, D - Coach Dave Cameron said Friday that Methot aggravated his back injury and is without a timetable for a return, Ian Mendes of TSN 1200 reports. (12/19/2014)
Patrick Wiercioch, D - Wiercioch (undisclosed) is considered doubtful to play Wednesday against the Devils, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports. (12/16/2014)
Zack Smith, C - Smith dislocated his wrist in Saturday's game against the Bruins and is expected to miss multiple months, the Ottawa Sun reports. The Senators have placed him on injured reserve. (12/15/2014)

Washington Capitals
Edward Pasquale, G - Pasquale recently underwent an operation on his hip and is out indefinitely, Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post reports. (10/28/2014)
Dmitry Orlov, D - Orlov has been slow to progress in his recovery from wrist surgery, Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post reports. (12/13/2014)
Aaron Volpatti, LW - Volpatti (neck) was been cleared to begin practicing with AHL Hershey on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports. (12/10/2014)
John Erskine, D - Erskine, who was placed on injured reserve earlier Wednesday, underwent surgery to repair a disk in his neck. (10/22/2014)

Nashville Predators
Anton Volchenkov, D - Volchenkov left Tuesday's game against the Bruins with a lower-body injury and will not return, Eric Stromgren of The Tennessean reports. (12/16/2014)
Paul Gaustad, C - Gaustad (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Friday. (12/19/2014)
James Neal, RW - Coach Peter Laviolette said that the illness preventing Neal from playing in Saturday's game against the Wild isn't related to the mumps virus. (12/20/2014)

Columbus Blue Jackets
Artem Anisimov, C - Anisimov is expected to miss two-to-three months with a torn triceps muscle. (12/1/2014)
Mark Letestu, C - Letestu (groin) skated Wednesday for the second time since undergoing surgery just over two weeks ago, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports. (12/17/2014)
Brian Gibbons, C - Gibbons is expected to miss the next 2-to-3 weeks with a knee injury, Shawn Mitchell of The Columbus Dispatch reports. (12/19/2014)
Boone Jenner, LW - Jenner will miss one to two months after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back Saturday, the Columbus Dispatch reports. The Blue Jackets have placed him on injured reserve. (12/20/2014)
Ryan Murray, D - Murray (knee) participated in Friday's optional practice. (12/13/2014)
Nathan Horton, RW - Horton is bracing for the possibility of career-ending surgery to rectify his degenerative spinal condition, Jimmy Hascup of USA Today reports. (11/13/2014)
Scott Hartnell, LW - Hartnell (broken finger) said Saturday that he was targeting a return to the lineup Dec. 27 against the Bruins, Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch reports. (12/20/2014)

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pascal Dupuis, RW - Dupuis (blood clot) skated on his own Tuesday morning. (12/2/2014)
Paul Martin, D - Martin (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. (12/20/2014)
Christian Ehrhoff, D - Ehrhoff (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. (12/20/2014)
Craig Adams, RW - Adams will miss Saturday's game against the Panthers with an undisclosed injury, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. (12/20/2014)
Beau Bennett, RW - Bennett (knee) was diagnosed with the mumps virus Tuesday, Josh Yohe of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. (12/16/2014)
Robert Bortuzzo, D - Bortuzzo (upper body) tested negative for the mumps and has been cleared to rejoin the team. (12/19/2014)
Olli Maatta, D - Mattaa tested positive mumps virus and will remain in isolation for at least five days. (12/19/2014)
Anton Zlobin, LW - Zlobin underwent season-ending surgery Tuesday, Jonathan Bombulie of the Luzeme County Citizen's Voice reports. (12/2/2014)
Zach Sill, RW - The Penguins placed Sill (upper body) on IR on Sunday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. (12/15/2014)
Scott Wilson, LW - Wilson (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Friday, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. (12/5/2014)

Florida Panthers
Shawn Thornton, LW - The Panthers placed Thornton (groin) on injured reserve Tuesday. (12/16/2014)

Arizona Coyotes
Michael Stone, D - Stone (upper body) will not play Saturday against the Kings, Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic reports. (12/19/2014)
Lauri Korpikoski, LW - Korpikoski (lower body) is doubtful to play Saturday against the Kings, Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic reports. (12/19/2014)

Vancouver Canucks
Jannik Hansen, RW - Coach Willie Desjardins indicated Hansen (undisclosed) should be able to play Monday against the Coyotes. (12/21/2014)
Zack Kassian, RW - Kassian (finger) skated on his own in full gear prior to Saturday's morning skate, Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun reports. (12/20/2014)
Dan Hamhuis, D - Hamhuis (leg/groin) was on the ice prior to Saturday's morning skate, Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun reports. (12/20/2014)

San Jose Sharks
Raffi Torres, LW - Coach Todd McLellan said Tuesday that Torres (knee) would be out for "well into the New Year," Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area reports. (12/9/2014)
Mike Brown, RW - Brown has a broken right fibula and will miss six-to-eight weeks from the time of the fracture on Dec. 9, Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area reports. (12/21/2014)
Tyler Kennedy, LW - Kennedy (left shoulder) took part in Friday's optional practice, Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area reports. (12/19/2014)
Matthew Nieto, LW - Nieto (ankle) skated Friday for the second consecutive day, David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News reports. (12/19/2014)

Anaheim Ducks
Hampus Lindholm, D - Lindholm was scratched from Friday's lineup due to a lower-body injury, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports. (12/20/2014)
Kyle Palmieri, RW - Palmieri (shoulder) is aiming to return to the Anaheim lineup Dec. 27 in Arizona, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports. (12/18/2014)
Stefan Noesen, C - Noesen (Achilles) posted on his personal Twitter account that he was able to resume skating Thursday. (12/18/2014)
Corey Perry, RW - Perry (knee) was not part of the line rushes in practice Sunday, and won't play Monday against the Sharks, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports. (12/21/2014)
Sheldon Souray, D - GM Bob Murray said Souray's career remains in jeopardy as a result of his season-ending wrist procedure in January, NHL.com's Curtis Zupke reports. (9/1/2014)
Eric Brewer, D - Brewer (foot) was placed on injured reserve Thursday. (12/4/2014)
Francois Beauchemin, D - Beauchemin (finger) will not rejoin the lineup Monday against the Coytoes, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports. (12/21/2014)

Calgary Flames
Ladislav Smid, D - Smid (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun reports. (12/13/2014)
Mikael Backlund, C - Backlund (abdominal surgery) skated on his own prior to Thursday's practice, Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald reports. (12/18/2014)
Sam Bennett, LW - Bennett (shoulder) is hoping to resume skating at some point in January, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The FAN reports. (12/5/2014)

Los Angeles Kings
Slava Voynov, D - Voynov will stand trial on a felony charge of domestic violence after a judge deemed there to be sufficient evidence to move forward with the case Monday, ESPN.com reports. (12/15/2014)
Robyn Regehr, D - Regehr's upper-body injury is related to his hand and will keep him out for two-to-three weeks, NHL.com's Curtis Zupke reports. The Kings placed him on injured reserve Friday. (12/19/2014)

Hot

Logan Couture: Fantasy owners have been waiting years for Couture to take the next step to elite-ville. It looks like he might finally be delivering the goods. At 25, he's at that make-or-break age. The center has 10 points (5G, 5A) in his last 10 games, but it's the bump up in power-play points that should grap the attention of fantasy owners. With four goals and 10 points on the man advantage, Couture is already in shouting distance of his 2013-14 totals (4G, 9A), in half the number of games. More and more, he'll be looked upon as the go-to guy on an aging Sharks team which includes Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski.

Marc-Andre Fleury: Fleury has already set a career single-season high with six shutouts in his first 24 starts. His goals-against average of 2.01 is well ahead of his typical 2.30 GAA or so, but can this season be different? Can a new coach with a more defensively-responsible system help Fleury set new personal highs? He's had a tendency to cool off in the later months – even before the playoffs. So the jury will be out for a good while. The guess here is that he can set new personal marks, but only if the team's blue line gets healthy. Fielding three of six inexperienced defensemen Saturday led Florida to take a season high 49 shots and is a recipe for defensive disaster. If that continues, then Fleury's numbers will inevitably drop off. Meanwhile, the Flower takes sterling numbers into the new calendar year – an 18-4-2 record, 2.01 GAA and .930 save percentage.

Cold

Marcus Johansson: The Washington Capitals have totaled 32 goals in their last 10 games; Johansson tallied a whopping two assists -- both in the same game – over that span. It looked like the Swede might be breaking out when he scored 16 points in his first 22 games, but that hasn't been the case. Johansson fantasy owners are in a tricky spot right now: On one hand, those who've ridden out his slump might want to wait for a rebound. After all, there are very few hockey players who score in linear fashion. On the other hand, Johansson's roster spot might better be served by flipping him. He doesn't help in PIM (0), hits (27) or blocked shots (6), so if he's not scoring, he's not helping.

Olli Maatta: A week ago, the Penguins stated they were seeking a second opinion on Maatta's undisclosed injury which is pretty well known to be a shoulder injury. Second opinions rarely signal good things ahead. Maatta underwent shoulder surgery in the spring, so there's a good chance he reinjured himself and will miss significant time – perhaps the entire season. Fantasy owners might want to get a jump on the news and dump him in single-season leagues. Maatta was also the third Penguin to contract the mumps, following Sidney Crosby and Beau Bennett, but the shoulder injury is obviously a more long-term situation.

Recommended Pickup

Derrick Pouliot: The 2012 first-round draft choice is supremely talented. He's all offense, all the time. Pittsburgh recalled him Saturday morning, creating quite the stir in the 'Burgh. Coming off spring shoulder surgery, Pouliot got a late start to his first professional season but put up nine goals and 20 points in his first 23 AHL contests. The organization didn't want to call him up so soon, but multiple injuries to the Pens' blue line forced its hand. Coach Mike Johnston knows all about him – Johnston coached Pouliot in the WHL. The defender wristed a goal top shelf past Roberto Luongo on Saturday – on his first shot! Let the hype begin! He saw time on the power play and is one of those fun fantasy picks poolies can say they were smart enough to pick him up if he does well (or simply dump if he falls back down the depth chart). Long-term, Pouliot represents the best of Pittsburgh's bumper crop of defensive prospects.